Rural Spotlight

Telehealth Best Practices for Back to School

October 4, 2024

Telehealth Best Practices for Back to School

School-based telehealth can increase a student’s ability to access health care providers. School-based telehealth can include annual exams, monitoring chronic conditions like diabetes or asthma, and providing behavioral health services.

Students who access health care using telehealth in school may have reduced time away from class, reduced travel costs, and increased availability for appointments.

With students back in school, school-based telehealth providers can educate parents about services.

This best practice guide highlights strategies for creating a school-based telehealth program.

Click Here for Best Practice Guide

Additional Best Practice Guides for Telehealth

Webinar: Checklist Guide to Performing an Audit, October 15

October 2, 2024

Webinar: Checklist Guide to Performing an Audit, October 15

This webinar is perfect as a refresher for Certified Healthcare Auditors (CHA), compliance officers and those tasked with the responsibility of auditing and monitoring for compliance.

Learning Objectives

  • Four recommended steps to plan a successful audit
  • 7-step plan for the execution phase of an audit
  • Checklist to guide you through how to approach the report of findings
  • 8-step checklist when recommending a corrective action plan

On the day of the webinar, participants can download the 6-page guidance which outlines appropriate steps to performing an audit.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, October 15, 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Introduction to Auditing for Compliance, October 8

October 2, 2024

Webinar: Introduction to Auditing for Compliance, October 8

Join the American Institute of Healthcare Compliance (AIHC) to learn about the importance of compliance and audits. Speaker Joanne Byron, who brings over 35 years of clinical and executive health care experience in areas of compliance, coding, documentation improvement, auditing, privacy, and security.

Learning Objectives – Answers to the Following Questions

  • Why conduct internal audits?
  • How can an audit identify risk?
  • Does the size of our organization matter?
  • Should we have an audit team?
  • Is it important to have a lead auditor?
  • What are the 4 phases of an audit?

Cost: Free

When: October 8, 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

HIPAA & Increased Trend in Record Request Scams – Don’t Fall for Fax Scams

October 2, 2024

HIPAA & Increased Trend in Record Request Scams – Don’t Fall for Fax Scams

Healthcare fraud takes many forms and in the world of cybercrime, health records are big business! A lot of information is contained in that record, such as demographics, social security numbers, Medicare/Medicaid numbers, and even financial information.

Cybercriminals will primarily use medical records to impersonate the victim to receive medical services, benefits, and medications. These types of records are more lucrative for criminals than other types of data, like credit card numbers. According to Experian, a single patient record can sell for up to $1,000 on the black market.

Medical record phishing scams are a type of cyber-attack that aims to trick people into giving away sensitive information, such as patient records, login credentials, or financial details. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has warned physicians to be aware of these scams.

CMS identified phishing scams for medical records, according to an item in the June 20, 2024 MLN Connects newsletter. This may include scammers faxing your office fraudulent medical records requests to get you to send patient records in response and using the CMS logo in their request. When you review any requests, look for signs of a scam, including:

  • Directing you to send records to an unfamiliar fax number or address
  • Referencing Medicare.gov or @Medicare (.gov)
  • Indicating they need records to “update insurance accordingly”
  • Poor grammar, misspellings, or strange wording
  • Incorrect phone numbers
  • Skewed or outdated logos
  • Graphics that are cut and pasted

When responding to a CMS request for records, CMS recommends using the esMD for Medicare Providers and Suppliers, which eliminates the need to mail or fax paper documents.

Related Articles

Digital danger: a review of the global public health, patient safety and cybersecurity threats posed by illicit online pharmacies.

NARHC Webinar: Strengthening Rural Health: The Role of HPV Vaccination, October 1

September 30, 2024

NARHC Webinar: Strengthening Rural Health: The Role of HPV Vaccination, October 1

The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) is hosting a free, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)-supported webinar with information on the importance of HPV vaccination in preventing cancers, best practices, and resources for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs).

Join this webinar to learn about the importance of HPV vaccination in preventing cancers and how St. Jude is working to achieve this.

This webinar will feature representatives from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital HPV Cancer Prevention Program. Additional time for Q&A will be provided. Advanced registration is required.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, October 1, 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

New FMT Brief: Characteristics of Communities Affected by Critical Access Hospital Mergers

September 30, 2024

New FMT Brief: Characteristics of Communities Affected by Critical Access Hospital Mergers

The Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) has released a new policy brief, Characteristics Affected by Critical Access Hospital Mergers.

This brief provides comparative statistics on the demographic, socioeconomic, health status, and geographic characteristics of communities served by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) by their merger status.

Findings from this study will help inform hospital leaders, State Flex Programs, and policymakers about community characteristics that may be associated with CAH mergers, and about the rural populations that are affected by CAH mergers.

Key findings from this brief include:

  • Between 2010 and 2022, CAHs were the targets of 128 mergers, meaning a health care entity acquired or merged them under a single owner.
  • CAH mergers were unevenly distributed across the U.S. Census regions, largely concentrated in the Midwest and the South.
  • Communities where CAHs merged had:
    • Lower rates of insurance for both adults and children
    • Lower median income inequality
    • Higher unemployment rates compared with counties without CAH mergers

Click Here to View Policy Brief

Rural Telementoring Training Center Webinar, October 1

September 30, 2024

Rural Telementoring Training Center Webinar, October 1

People living in rural and remote areas face persistent and systemic healthcare challenges, including:

  • Hospital and clinic closures
  • Geographic isolation
  • Workforce shortages
  • Economic & demographic shifts
  • High burdens of chronic disease
  • High rates of traumatic injuries

When there is a gap in healthcare access or quality, there is an opportunity to share resources and build bridges that improve health.

The Rural Telementoring Training Center (RTTC) provides free training, tools and technical assistance to support implementing and evaluating new and current telementoring programs for rural health workers.

Telementoring can improve rural health by:

  • Building local capacity
  • Reducing professional isolation
  • Improving access to care
  • Sharing best practices

During this webinar, participants will:

  • Learn the mission and resources of the Rural Telementoring Training Center
  • Learn the role of Promotoras and Community Health Workers and how they can assist with identifying asthma triggers in the home
  • Learn how the Telementoring Training Center can help Learning Partners create and implement a telementoring program

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, October 1, 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Community Chat: Providing Equitable Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities, September 26

September 30, 2024

Community Chat: Providing Equitable Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities, September 26

Children and young people across the U.S. are experiencing a mental health crisis. Improving access to equitable and high-quality care is critical for our young people, particularly in rural communities due to long-standing health care shortages.

This is especially true for those with marginalized identities, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas, who experience disproportionate challenges in accessing equitable, person-centered care.

The Rural Interest Group Community Chat: Providing Equitable Care for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities is more than a webinar, this is a discussion-based session for sharing ideas, experiences, innovations, and questions with health care leaders who are implementing cutting-edge change to further reach and support young people in their communities.

Please Note: Because of the sensitive and often personal nature of this topic, this session will not be recorded, and the speakers will prioritize creating a space for open and safe conversations regarding personal experiences and ideas.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, September 26, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

Click Here to Register

HCBS Provisions of the Medicaid Access Rule: Training Series

September 30, 2024

HCBS Provisions of the Medicaid Access Rule: Training Series

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced an upcoming training series on the several key provisions of the home-and-community-based services (HCBS) in the Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule.

The Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule (Access Rule) advances access to care and quality of care and will improve health outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries across fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care delivery systems, including home- and community-based services (HCBS) provided through those delivery systems. Specifically, the HCBS provisions of the rule makes sweeping changes intended to strengthen necessary safeguards to ensure health and welfare, promote health equity for people receiving Medicaid covered HCBS, and achieve a more consistent and coordinated approach to the administration of policies and procedures across Medicaid HCBS programs.

To ensure that all partners fully understand the various HCBS provisions within the Access rule, as well as, have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on implementation of the rule, CMS will be hosting training sessions on several key provisions of the rule. The October training will focus on the HCBS set of quality measures and future trainings will address timely access to care, rate transparency, and the Beneficiary Advisory Council.

Dates and Tentative Topics:

  • October 9, 2024 @ 3:00pm ET: HCBS Measure Set
  • December 11, 2024 @ 3:00pm ET: Grievance Systems
  • February 12, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Timely Access, Waiting Lists, Person Centered Planning Reporting Requirements & Minimum Performance Levels
  • March 12, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Website Requirements
  • April 9, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: HCBS Rate Transparency
  • May 14, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC) and Beneficiary Advisory Council (BAC)
  • June 11, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET: Institutional Rule Provisions*

Click Here to Register for one or ALL sessions

HRSA Seeks Nominations for the NHSC Advisory Board

September 30, 2024

HRSA Seeks Nominations for the NHSC Advisory Board

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is currently looking for new members to join the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC).

If you are a clinician or health official with a background in primary care, oral health, or mental/behavioral health, your expertise and unique experiences can help address health care delivery needs in underserved areas.

Rural communities are often the least represented on the board, and the NHSC wants your input. Please consider submitting a nomination, including self-nominations, by December 6, 2024, and help make a positive impact.

Advisory Board Commitment

  • 3-year term
  • Up to four meetings per year
  • Each meeting lasts for two days in a row.

How to Become a Member: Members are nominated or submit a self-nomination.

How to Nominate a Candidate for the Advisory Board

  • Send a letter stating:
    • Name, affiliation, and contact information for the nominee.
    • The basis for the nomination; and
    • The nominator’s contact information, including:
      • Name
      • Address
      • Daytime phone number
      • Email address
  • Letters must be from an employer, colleague, and/or professional organization.

To Self-nominate, your letter should include:

  • Traits that qualify you for the position.
  • Your affiliation, contact information and area of expertise.
  • The specific reason(s) you feel the NACNHSC would benefit from your membership.

Additional Information to Submit with Nomination:

  • A letter of interest from the nominee
  • A biographical sketch of the nominee
  • A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae
  • The nominee’s contact information
  • Cover letter (optional but highly recommended)

Important Note: In accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 208, current NHSC Scholarship Program and Loan Repayment Program participants are not able to serve as members of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (NACNHSC). Once your service commitment is complete, you can apply to become a member of the Counci8l, and if eligible, you may be selected to serve on the NACNHSC.

Nomination Deadline: December 6, 2024

Email nominations to: NHSCADVISORYCOUNCIL@HRSA.GOV

Click Here to Learn More